Earth Day approaches. Why not celebrate by limiting your crafting to projects that don’t necessitate lots of plastic and glitter and other potentially polluting products you bought new? (Not that I have anything against glitter. It’s really pretty. And, frankly, probably biodegrades faster than plastic that’s not cut up into tiny pieces? Anyway, get your green face on.)

Pallet…everything

If you’ve ever been to a salvage lot or literally anyplace they sell leftover wares, you’ve probably seen a big stack of pallets—and that whole stack would probably run you less than $20. If you’re curious what to do with them, here are about a bajillion (read: 21) things to do with them.

Nostalgia blanket

I’ve seriously considered making a quilt out of old t-shirts (can’t take credit for that idea, but it has occupied my mind frequently) and then found this great example of turning your kid’s old baby clothes into a quilt that s/he could presumably still fit in! It’s the outfit that keeps on giving. Or, if your parents kept YOUR old baby clothes, you could make one for yourself, rather than keeping them stashed at the back of the closet for the rest of eternity.

Bottle icicles

Normally, I’m highly suspicious of any project involving a plastic bottle; I assume most of them end up as totally ineffective, ugly birdfeeders that bring down the wrath of the neighborhood committee. But these darn icicles are SO PRETTY and actually resemble ones you’d buy in the store. Bonus: as an Earth Day craft, these prepare you for a world in which snow no longer exists. (We’ll see if my bosses decide to cut THAT particular dig.)

Cereal box notebooks

You can make these semi-cute notebooks if a) you eat a lot of cereal and/or b) you find yourself with such a need for multiple notebooks that purchasing one will simply not satisfy the need. Either case seems a bit worrisome to me, so I hope you make them for a third reason.

Wine cork bathmat

SOME PEOPLE I know drink a lot of wine. Other people I know leave a huge puddle of water on the floor when they shower. (Hint: I’m employed by one and live with another, you do the math.) Probably they should get together and make this really cool bathmat made from wine corks. Actually, they should have done it about two weeks ago before I bought a new bathmat.

Candleholders

That same wino, here unnamed, could also make some sweet candleholders from leftover wine bottles. Although, let’s be honest, there’s only so many holders you can make before you burn down the house, so this person shouldn’t expect to reuse ALL of their (gender unnamed) wine bottles this way.

Drawer dividers

I love these because I personally need some drawer dividers. But even if you don’t, you should check out the link because it includes a picture of what the creator of iheartorganizing considers a “messy” drawer. Feel free to guffaw.

If you have any other DIY crafts instructions suggestions, let us know on Facebook!